Hytest Hatchet

N

nzedge

Joined
Apr 7, 2013
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Just had this arrive :thumbup:
Its a Hytest Hatchet, which as far as a I can tell are quite rare.
What I think is awesome about this (other than being a hytest which is cool in itself) is that's its a real axe shaped hatchet complete with beveled cheeks etc.
At just over 5 inches long this IMO, is one bad ass hatchet complete with features often only found on real / quality full size axes. Many hatchets are just simple wedges/small ASO's. (which generally work fine for a hatchet)
Behold :cool:
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The handle is a bit loose and the head does not sit quite straight. I havent decided what im going to do with the handle as yet if ill try to salvage it or rehang it on a fresh handle...will probably go the new handle route but we will see what it looks like when I take the head off and see what I have to work with.
 
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thanks :) I think its one of those things that you need to know what your'e looking at to appreciate
many people would only see an old rundown hatchet. We see past that and see the good lines that are not seen much on new axes nowadays.
 
I get the impression that its not so easy to find good vintage hatchets in New Zealand? Those Hytests are not something that I find out here. The pole narrowing is not that common on our hatchets either.That one shows no signs of the poll being beat on. Very good condition.
 
garry3 said:
I get the impression that its not so easy to find good vintage hatchets in New Zealand? Those Hytests are not something that I find out here. The pole narrowing is not that common on our hatchets either.That one shows no signs of the poll being beat on. Very good condition.
Click to expand...

Yeap, good vintages axes are hard to come by. We don't have all the plumbs, kellys, collins, sagers etc that you guys get over there. None of them were ever really imported while they were being made (as far as im aware). They say they wernt up to our hardwoods so they made them locally (Australia / Hytest), or contracted out the manufacture of a pattern suitable to our woods. (tasmanian pattern / kelly dandenongs)

This means we do have a few gems though which are more common around these parts, and would I assume be very rare out your ways.. Mainly Hytest and Kelly "dandenongs"
 
Here's an ad for Hytest hatchets, from 1952:

HytestHatchetBoysAxeEtc1952.jpg

from https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-318530811/view?sectionId=nla.obj-331047572&partId=nla.obj-318663023#page/n55/mode/1up

Note the Hytest three-quarter (boys) axe and the Hytest canoe adze, also shown. Along with mention of Hytest hoes, sledgehammers, and mattocks. The Hytest full-size axe was available in 3-1/2 pounds (as well as 4, 4.5, and 5 pound weights).

A 1948 price list for a wide range of Hytest tools (including the hatchet and axes, as well as blacksmiths tools, cold chisels...) can be found here:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/232813744?searchTerm=hytest%20hatchet&searchLimits=l-availability=y

A lot of search results for Hytest hatchets can be found at Trove (National Library of Australia):
http://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=hytest+hatchet&l-availability=y
 
I see their boys axe or three quarter axe is actually 2 3/4 lbs. I think I would prefer that weight.

Nzedge, your right about the scarcity of Denadongs here. I have came across a Plumb in that pattern though. It seemed to have been a military axe. It may have found its way back after being exported.
 
Thanks for that Steve. I always love seeing those old adds! :)

Garry, The kelly dandenongs we get down here were all made in Canada. About the only kelly's we get are the Canadian ones.

I put an edge on it last night. Its got some very hard steel. Took some elbow grease to sharpen. I also tested the poll and im pretty sure its hardened. I hammered some random small bits of metal into a log and also tested it with a file. The file test was a little inconclusive though as I really didn't want to go scraping up the poll. Really a good file will cut it if its hardened or not..scratching the patina off and not damaging the steel was enough for me :)
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I have a question. See on the ax head how some of it is not smooth? Like its got either pitting or forging slag on it. What do you guys think that is?
Im in two minds about weather to try to sand it off or not. I think it maybe forging slag, in which case I dont want to remove it.
Firstly because its raised from the rest of the material, and not depressed (pitted). And secondly when I tried to scratch it off with a very hard blade (cpm10v 64hrc) it didnt really scratch off like rust would. Its obviously had some bluing or something applied, but underneath the rough bits appears to be steel, and not rust.

What do you guys think? To leave the rough bits or not? Forging slag or rust? I don't want to start sanding it to find its solid steel (slag) and not rust.
thanks!
 
It's rust slag. And the bluing is rust bluing. I generally recommend staying with a brass wire cup brush when cleaning up old axes because the brass preserves more of the patina. But when I have stubborn rust slag like that I'll switch it the knotted steel wire cup brush. Just concentrate on the bumps and stay away from the rest of the surface as much as possible.

Interesting use of a drill press vise on the stump. I bet it makes for a sturdy vise.
 
Thanks for the tip. Ill pick up some wire brushes and see how I get on :)

Good spotting re the drill press vice haha. It does indeed work well and is very replaceable / you don't need to worry about mucking up the surface. I use it all the time for my axe & knife escapades. I do have a real vice but I generally just use my log. lol

edit. the other good thing about the drill press vice over a normal vice is that its very low profile. What this means for sharpening (axes) is you can clamp an axe handle in it(I would put an old tshirt or something in there so it does not mark the wood), then you can put something underneath the axe head (usually a screwdriver handle) so that you can file as hard as you want and the axe head cant move down with the pressure applied. Obviously not as issue if you want to clamp the haft really tightly. But this way you can get away with clamping soft enough as to not damage the handle, and the axe cant move no matter how hard you push.

ill get a photo of how I do it sometime :)
edit again, looks like I took a photo last night. note haft clamped in vice, with screwdriver handle under axe head so it cant get pushed down or move in the vice. works well
IMG_2732_zpsdxpca8jr.jpg
 
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I use the cup brushes on a 4-1/2 inch angle grinder.

Clever use of your vise. Yes, please do take pictures next time.
 
Square_peg said:
I use the cup brushes on a 4-1/2 inch angle grinder.

Clever use of your vise. Yes, please do take pictures next time.
Click to expand...

I added pic into post above :)

I just picked up a "clean and strip" disc for the angle grinder.
I did intend to get the wire cup brush, but it would have cost me double what the whole axe cost me, and im a bit broke till payday.
If this disc does not work well then ill fold and get the wire brush next week payday. Should be ok hopefully. It says its for stripping of paint and rust etc and wont damage metal..so we will see.
Will update thread with pics of how I get on :thumbup:
 
tandanus said:
Hytests? Rare?

I can't move for the bloody things.
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Sounds like not a bad problem to have.
Am assuming you are a wallaby in which case you would have the most hytests around of any place in the world.
Im sure they get rarer the further away from Australia you get, and are quite rare on the ground in the US.

Would like to see yours..I would like some more hytest stuff :)
cheers
 
I got some time to hit it with the disc and it did what I wanted, which was to remove the raised rust/slag stuff.
There is still some pitting there but all the raised stuff is gone which is good. I didnt like the idea that what whatever was under the bluing may continue to corrode.
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I also decided on sticking with the original haft and so banged a steel wedge in to tighten things up. Should hold fine i think.
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Will maybe get some bluing solution, or may hit it with some olive brine to darken it again.
 
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Nice find. The challenger boys axes also make good hatchets. This is my first hang and grind so not the best but im working on it.
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nice axe there Rise :) looks to be in good condition to.
yea my edge isnt perfect either because I didnt want to file the whole bit back to get rid of remaining small chips/damage. I figured they are pretty small and will disappear after a sharpening or two, so why waste bit life. :)
I did check the local bunnings to see if they had any decent hatchet handles but I was very dissapointed. The only "hatchet" handles they had were the straight kind... like hammer handles...ewww :(
 
nzedge said:
nice axe there Rise :) looks to be in good condition to.
yea my edge isnt perfect either because I didnt want to file the whole bit back to get rid of remaining small chips/damage. I figured they are pretty small and will disappear after a sharpening or two, so why waste bit life. :)
I did check the local bunnings to see if they had any decent hatchet handles but I was very dissapointed. The only "hatchet" handles they had were the straight kind... like hammer handles...ewww :(
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In bunnings if you go down to the other end to the new axes, Shovels etc, Not in the tool section they have replacement handles thats where mine is from.
Most of them are horrible but mine was one of 3 without completely horizontal grain alignment out of about 20 and of the 3 it had the straightest kerf but its still crooked.Also has alot of grain runout. Id say best bet is sourcing a spotted gum handle online and shaping it however you want it. You dont have to worry about grain runout as much when shaping.
 
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